The construction of furniture, cabinetry, display and storage units and like structures usually entails connecting components together with glue, adhesives, nails, screws, bolts, rivets staples as well as other types of fasteners. This can be problematic as it can be time-consuming, labour-intensive and require the use of specialist tools and labor.
Flat-pack and ready-to-assemble designed furniture goes some way to overcome the above-mentioned problems, but such furniture has its own problems in that the connections formed between components can be of inadequate strength and can be held together by point loads. Also, for tongue in groove arrangements/dovetail joints, the components must be made of wood (timber or particle board).
Furthermore, the same above-mentioned problems are commonplace in existing panel, modular, temporary and pre-fabricated construction methods for buildings and structures as well as rigid and flexible construction materials. Industrial, processing and materials-handling, storage and packaging applications and equipment such as replaceable strips, plates, panels, piping and other such replaceable items that wear out during operation or use also require convenient and/or reusable connecting systems.